Lies Commit Murder
by BrokenLuvSickDreams
Summary: Quinn and Rachel have had three strong years together. But can Rachel throw all of that away in one night? Could Quinn really murder Finn because of Rachel's lies? And where has our pregnant Rachel run off to now? Faberry Story
1. The Lie that Started it All

Everything is so beautiful... Rachel thought. She let her eyes wander over the gorgeous scene in front of her. There were gold and purple ribbon covering every pillar and around the back of every chair. White Lily wreaths were hung over the altar. And a long white carpet was placed on the floor, leading up to the altar.  
"So, what do you think?" Kurt asked with a nervous grin  
"Oh, Kurt..." Rachel started to tear up. "It's beautiful..."  
"Really? You like it?" Kurt asked, happiness seeping into his voice.  
"No... I love it." She giggled. She hugged him tightly and blinked back more tears. Everything was just perfect.  
"Well, let's go get you into your dress!" he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the dressing room. She sighed contently when Kurt handed her the dress and shoved her behind the curtain. Rachel peeled off her jeans and tank top and stepped into her dress. While holding it up so it wouldn't fall off, she took a step out.  
"Kurt, can you zip up the back for me?" She asked.  
"Sure." He replied and she turned around. When he zipped it up all the way, she walked to the full-length mirror. She twirled a bit. She had never felt so pretty in her life. She turned to kurt.  
"What do you think?" She asked, her anxiety growing.  
"Must you ask Rach? You look amazing! Absolutely gorgeous."  
"You think Quinn will like it?" Her voice grew quiet and high pitched.  
"Rach," He took her by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "If she doesn't, then she has absolutely NO fashion sense whatsoever."  
Rachel smiled and took a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."  
Kurt's smile grew, "Of course I am. As the saying goes, 'The Hummel is always right' "  
"I thought it was the womans always right?" Rachel inquired, amused.  
"Not anymore." Kurt laughed. "Now I'm going to go get the curling Iron, and then we can mess with your hair." And with that, he skipped off.  
Rachel turned to look in the mirror again. Her dress was lavender with gold stars all over and it hugged tight to her skinny frame. She rubbed her sleeveless shoulders, wondering if she should have gotten a dress with sleeves, since it was chilly with the air conditioning running. She fluffed her hair a bit, deciding that Kurt had made the right call by doing her hair.  
"Found it." Kurt chirped as he came back in the room. Rachel turned to smile at him.  
"Cool." She said, swallowing her nerves. Kurt pulled back a chair so that Rachel could sit down and plugged in the curling iron. He started brushing her hair and she smiled at her reflection.  
"So, how are you feeling?" Kurt asked. "Sick to your stomach yet?"  
"No. Not yet." She chuckled.  
"Lucky. By this point I was worried about everything going wrong and questioning whether or not I was really ready for this, and I almost puked." Kurt pouted. "I wish I could have been as lucky then as you are now."  
"Well, I haven't gotten sick yet; but we'll find out if I do." Rachel laughed light-heartedly.

Quinn looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't one for dresses, but Rachel insisted she wear one. Her dress had short, lace sleeves and puffed out at the bottom. It looked like a blue ball gown. Quinn sighed and allowed Tina to straighten her hair.  
"You look great Quinn." Tina commented.  
"Thanks." Quinn smiled.  
"No problem." Tina grinned back. They sat in an awkward silence for the next hour or so.

The music played. Rachel stepped up to the altar next to Quinn. She couldn't focus on the preachers words, or the decorations that Kurt had spent countless hours preparing. Only Quinn. Quinn had Rachel's complete and undivided attention. And that is where her attention would stay. She followed through the motions flawlessly, only by watching Quinn's movements and when she was handed Quinn's ring.

"I vow to be there. To make you feel special and loved. To remind you how beautiful you are and how amazing you are. I vow to never leave your side and to hold you and love you until the day I die. I can't live without you. I love you Quinn. You complete me."

"I vow to love you. To never let you forget who you are and what you mean to me. Living without you would be like death, a sea of nothingness. I love you, and there is no end to that love. I vow to never let you lose sight of the good, and to be there to hold you and comfort you through the bad. I love you Rachel. And I won't let you forget that."

"You may kiss the brides." The Priest he didn't need to. They were already kissing by that point.

"So, how do you feel?" Kurt asked. "Finally married to the love of your life. Welcome to the club."  
"It's great, and thanks for everything Kurt. This wedding wouldn't have been nearly as beautiful if you hadn't designed it." Quinn said with a warm smile.  
"Oh, thats not true..." Kurt blushed modestly.  
"Yes it is!" Rachel exclaimed. "Kurt you are amazing. This is amazing. Oh, thank you so much for everything."  
"It is really beautiful Kurt." Blaine hugged him from behind. Rachel and Quinn wrapped their arms around both of them.  
"Wow, never knew I was such a pimp." Kurt laughed. Quinn and Rachel laughed with him. Blaine chuckled and made a pretend serious face at the newlyweds.  
"Remember ladies, this one's mine..." Blaine smirked. Both girls raised an eyebrow when Kurt jumped a few feet.  
"Gay ass grab!" Quinn declared and squeezed Rachel's ass. Both Kurt and Rachel were blushing as Quinn and Blaine high-fived.  
Total pervs... Kurt and Rachel silently agreed.

*Three Years Later*

Quinn loved her life with Rachel.  
What, with their relationship of knowing when to be the best friend and when to be the lover, almost never fighting, and the amazing sex, life was good.  
Until HE came back.

Finn Hudson is what ruined their marriage.

Rachel was at rehearsal, getting ready for her next Broadway performance. She never intended for Finn to show up. But, even though she did love Quinn, she couldn't deny that she would always have a special place in her heart for Finn.  
And everything went downhill from there.  
Quinn was a businesswoman, and would be out of town for the night. And Finn invited her over for dinner. She happily obliged.  
And she planned everything out. She would show up fashionably-late, eat dinner with him, have a nice chat to catch up with an old friend, and leave.  
She would be there for no more than an hour tops.

Yeah... that didn't go as planned.

Quinn walked in their front door promptly at 11:37 am. She set down her bag, plopped into the lounge chair in the livingroom and flipped through the TV channels.  
"Hey Quinn." Rachel said with a smile as she stepped into the livingroom.  
"Hey babe." Quinn smiled back and patted her thigh. Rachel walked over and sat on Quinn's lap. "How are you?"  
"I'm good." Rachel replied, nuzzling her head into the crook of Quinn's shoulder. "I missed you though."  
"I missed you too Rach."  
Rachel kissed Quinn gently.

"You seem upset Rachel." Quinn stated at dinner that night.  
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked with a small smile.  
"You're never this quiet. You always have something to say. Now, what's wrong?"  
"J-just..." She started. "Nevermind. O-it's nothing important."  
"Uh-oh." Quinn said in a hushed tone.  
"What?" Rachel asked, curiosity in her voice.  
"What did you and Kurt fight about this time?" Quinn asked in a bored tone. "Is it another on of those fights about who's better 'Madonna or Barbara'?"  
"Barbara will always be the best. And no. That's not it." Rachel sighed. "You remember Finn, right?"  
Quinn's expression turned cold. "Yes..." Her voice was like ice.  
"Well... he came to my rehearsal yesterday." Rachel said cautiously.  
"And what did he have to say?" Quinn's voice got colder. Rachel shivered a little.  
"He invited me to have dinner with him. Just to catch up, you know? Because yeah, we aren't the best of friends, but we are trying to at least stay friends. It's not really working..." Rachel's voice trailed off and a tear trickled down her face. It was real, but she would never be able to face the reality of it.  
"What do you mean, 'It's not really working'? What did he do? Did he hurt you?!" Her voice was edged with hatred and aggression.  
"Not exactly..." More tears streamed down her face. Quinn leaned in and forced her voice to soften as much as possible.  
"Did... did he touch you Rachel?"  
She didn't trust her voice to speak. She burst into tears, hating herself for what she was doing and what she had done.  
"That bastard... where does he live Rachel?"  
"Quinn..."  
"Rachel, tell me, where the fuck does he live?!" Quinn demanded, her voice cold and harsh. Rachel, frightened by Quinn's approach. forced out the words.  
"4456 North Apple Road, Apartment 23..." She sobbed. And without another word, Quinn grabbed her keys and stormed out into the night. Rachel cried harder.

Quinn threw herself at the locked door. Her weight, plus the weak hinges, sent the door crashing loudly to the floor.  
"FINN HUDSON!" She yelled. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"  
Finn stepped out of the kitchen and blinked at Quinn in fear and confusion.  
"Quinn? Quinn what's wrong?" He asked with sincere concern.  
"YOU HURT MY WIFE YOU SON OF A BITCH! She lunged at him, her fist colliding with the left side of his face. He stumbled back, running into a wall.  
"What are you talking about?" He asked as calmly as he could. Quinn didn't answer. She just went straight in for the kill. Clawing at his face, punching him repeatedly, and just plain out beating him senseless. She let her anger speak for her.  
She only paused for a moment. Just to catch a breath. And Finn took the opportunity. He punched her hard in the gut, Then he grabbed her by the head and smashed her face against his knee. There was a sickening crunch and she screamed. She scrambled back, covering her face with her hands and howling in pain. Finn couldn't stand. So he crawled as best as he could to the kitchen. By the time he reached the corner of the kitchen, Quinn stormed into the kitchen, blood gushing out of her slightly twisted nose. She lunged for him, but he was able to roll out of the way in the nick of time. He rolled into the fridge and it shook slightly. She went to attack him again, but hit her head on the door of the fridge and fell backwards, falling on her ass.  
Finn looked up, and the knife block fell from the top of the fridge.  
Not my best move... putting that up there... he thought bitterly. A knife lodged itself into his thigh and another into his gut. He howled in agony, but it was cut off with a gurgled as a third knife jammed itself into his chest; straight through his heart.  
And everything went black.

Quinn stared at Finn's body. She had blood on her too, which didn't help her defense when the cops showed up.  
And thats how she found herself sitting in the Police Station, behind bars, when Rachel ran in.  
"Oh, god, Quinn are you ok?" Rachel asked, tears brimming her eyes. Quinn stood from the spot where she was sitting and went to stand near Rachel, from inside the bars.  
"I'm fine... I promise." Quinn reassured her.  
"W-what is this about you murdering Finn...? E-everyone is saying you killed him and I don't wanna believe it but..."  
Quinn cut her off.  
"I didn't kill him. It was an accident. I swear. Yeah, I may have..." She cleared her throat. "beat him senseless for hurting you, but I am NOT a murderer! His knife block was on top of the fridge and it got knocked off when I hit my head on the door. I jumped back, but Finn was on the floor... and one of the knives went through his chest. I didn't kill him."  
Rachel blinked and gave Quinn a small smile. "I believe you Quinn..."  
"That's a relief..." Quinn sighed happily.

Quinn was told she would have to spend a week behind bars. Of course, Rachel threw a fit, and Quinn was likely to get fired, but, other than that; life wasn't too bad yet.

Yet. That was the key word here.

And it wasn't even a week later when her life crumbled. It was only five days later.

Kurt and Blaine showed up, looking rather cautious and nervous. Quinn arched an eyebrow at them.  
"Hey Quinn..." Blaine tried for a smile; but it just made him look like he had gas pains.  
"Hey guys." Quinn smiled. "What's up?"  
They glanced at each other, seeming troubled. Quinn waited a moment, but started to get impatient.  
"What is it?"  
"Well..." Blaine started.  
"It's about Rachel..." Kurt continued.  
"What about Rachel?"  
"We think... that her story is a lie." Blaine said just above a whisper. Quinn blinked at him blankly, trying to process this.  
"What are you saying? That my own wife would lie to me?"  
"Quinn you're not understanding." Kurt said in a calm and soothing voice. The voice that, without his realization, made Blaine hard as hell. "Her story doesn't add up."  
"And how the hell did you come to THAT fucking conclusion?" She demanded.  
"Because we asked her about it. She said she got home around three in the morning. First off, if Finn HAD raped Rachel, then why would he let her go home? Why not lock her up? Or drag her off with him out of town? How come she was able to drive home? Wouldn't she have started running? Wouldn't she have tried to hide? Why did she refuse a rape kit test? For petes sake Quinn, she came back without a single fucking scratch!" Kurt's nice tone, had disappeared. He was just stated the facts in as calm of a voice as he could now. "And the biggest question is why didn't she call the police? We all know Rachel would NEVER let someone hurt her like that and get away with it. The second she could get to a phone, she would have dialed 911."  
Quinn felt a few tears stream down her face. She couldn't win an argument with Kurt. In fact, she never had. Even Rachel couldn't win in an argument against Kurt. But, that was because, 99% of the time... Kurt was right.  
"I'm sorry Quinn..." Blaine said softly. "But we think Rachel cheated on you, and then lied to you so that you wouldn't be mad at her."  
Quinn stayed silent.  
She couldn't think.  
Would Rachel do that...? She asked herself quietly.

She was going to find out for sure.

Rachel stared at the stick in her hand. Tears streamed down her face. How the fuck was she going to explain this to Quinn? She could blame it on Finn supposedly raping her... but how long could she keep that lie going?  
Would Rachel ever be able to come clean?  
Nope... She thought.  
Because, this time, she had gotten herself into some deep shit. With Quinn. With her friends. With Finn, who was dead now because of her lie. With the doctors who wouldn't stop bugging her. And with the Police.

And she could only think of ONE way out.

She threw the stick in the trash and ran up to her room for a duffel.  
She packed her clothes, food, a pillow and blanket, and her wedding picture inside of it. She wrote a note, leaving a few tear stains on it as she wrote it. She placed it where her wedding picture had been and left her ring next to it.  
She drove to the nearest bank and cashed her credit cards.  
She bought a new car.  
And then she was off to find Puck for a new ID.

Quinn stomped in the door.  
"RACHEL!" She yelled out in frustrated anger. "RACHEL WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"  
There was no answer.  
She ran throughout the house.  
And discovered a new nightmare.  
Her wife had cheated on her, made her angry at Finn and indirectly made her accidentally kill him, and then... left.  
Tears fell onto the note, making some of the words blur.

_Dear Quinn,_

_I'm sorry for everything. I don't know if you know that I lied, and I don't know if you will ever come home, much less read this if you do._

_I shouldn't have done what I did, and it will shame me to the end of my days. I can't even begin to imagine how hurt you are, or how pissed._

_I will always hate myself for hurting you. So I made a decision._

_I'm leaving._

_And I don't intend to come back._

_It's better this way. You will find someone better. Someone who you can put all of your trust into._

_Remember, I will never stop loving you. I just need to accept that we are not meant to be._

_I'm sorry._

_And I love you._

_And I hope that, one day, you can forgive me._

_Although, if you don't, I understand._

_Because even if you forgive me, I will never be able to forgive myself._

_I betrayed you and your trust. I don't deserve you OR your forgiveness._

_But having it... would be a dream come true._

_Don't come looking for me._

_Move on and live your life._

_I won't forget you._

_And I will forever live in regret and remorse for what I have done to hurt you._

_I love you,_

_Rachel Berry_

Quinn folded up the note and put it and Rachel's ring in her pocket. When she went to get the phone, she saw the stick in the trash. It only made her feel worse. She called Kurt. He was on break at work. But he sent Blaine over, knowing that she needed company.  
She and Blaine weren't all that great of friends. They had their moments, but they didn't know each other all that well.  
Even so, the second that she opened the door to his concerned face, she hugged him and sobbed into his chest. He shut the door with his foot and guided her to the livingroom. They sat on the couch and she buried her head into his shoulder. He whispered encouragement to her, saying stuff like,  
"It'll be ok..." and,  
"We can fix this. We'll find her."  
He smoothed out her hair and she continued to cry.  
She had dealt with a mother who never cared about her.  
She had dealt with an abusive father.  
She had been anorexic.  
She had cut.  
She had been in and out of a mental hospital three times.  
Before Rachel, she was the troubled one. The devil. The one who everyone hated. The bitch. She had always been so alone...

And yet,  
She had NEVER felt this alone. She had never been so empty, or so hurt, in her life.  
At some point, she fell asleep.

"Quinn...?" Kurt said, shaking her shoulder lightly. "Quinn, wake up."  
Quinn blinked, slowly stirring to life.  
She lifted her head from Blaine's lap and sat up. He stood to stretch.  
"Sorry..." She said meekly.  
"It's alright." He chuckled. "I fell asleep too."  
"So, are you ready?" Kurt asked.  
"For?" She asked.  
"To start looking for Rachel."

Quinn's heart stopped for a moment as she thought about Rachel.  
Rachel was a follower. Not a leader.  
She couldn't protect herself.  
And she walked out into the world head on. Alone.  
And pregnant.

"Yeah." She gulped. "Let's bring her and the baby home."


	2. Red Hair

Rachel gulped. She didn't like heights. And sitting on this plane was killing her.  
She leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes. She put in her earphones and listened to some Barbara. She put all of her focus into her breathing.  
She jumped a few feet when someone tapped her shoulder. She looked up at a beautiful red-haired woman.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Rachel took note of her Irish accent. "Is this seat taken?" She asked.  
"N-no." She said with a small smile. "It's all yours."  
"Thanks." She smiled and sat down. Rachel turned off her MP3 and focused on her shaking hands.  
"You alright there lassie?" The woman asked. Rachel shook her head slightly.  
"I'm not good with heights..." She murmured. She tensed up when the woman's hand clasped around hers.  
"Well, when I get scared, I think of my grand daidi. He was a courageous man." Her eyes seemed to glisten as Rachel stared into them. "He loved me very much and taught me everything I know. He taught me how to read, how to write and how to hunt. And he taught me how to overcome my fears. He said that you have to face them head on. You can't worry. You have to remember, that no matter who you are, what your strengths are, who you come across, you will always fear. But you can always push past those fears if you think about the positives that could come out of overcoming your fears. You have to think of the pride you will gain and how proud your family will be. You put the thoughts of yourself before the thoughts of others for just one moment, and it feels like you're floating. Just remember that."  
Rachel was silent for a moment. But she found the ability to smile. The woman smiled back.  
"My name is Rachel." She said when she found her voice again.  
"Alexandria." The woman replied. "Where are you headed?**"**


	3. Kansas

"I feel like Dorothy..." Rachel murmured.  
"It IS Kansas." Alexandria chuckled. Rachel sighed. She knew that this was a good hiding place, but she still didn't like it. She was a city girl. Not a country girl.  
This wasn't her best plan.  
But at least she knew someone.  
"So where are we going exactly?" Rachel asked. She had planned on driving around and finding a motel or something, but she hadn't had the slightest clue where to look. Although, as if by chance, Alexandria was headed to the same place as her. Except, she was visiting distant relatives on her father's side.  
"All the way to Kansas City. It's about another two day drive." She explained. Rachel groaned, making Alexandria laugh.  
"What? Never lived in a car for more than a week?"  
"Not even for a day before now." She muttered bitterly.  
"Ah, well that's what you get when you live in the city. You get people and their fancy cars and big fancy houses. You don't get to feel the wind up in New York like you do here."  
Rachel looked out the window. It WAS a pretty sight. What, with the sun hanging just over the horizon and the landscape painted with reds and pinks.  
"It IS pretty out here..." Rachel said.  
"I think so too. Maybe it's just because I live out in Ireland, and everything is all grasslands and rain." She said thoughtfully.  
"Think we might find a motel or something out here?" Rachel asked. Alexandria laughed.  
"Only as likely as it is for all the crops to fail on my families farm!"

Quinn sighed. It was getting late and she knew that it was going to be another sleepless night. She couldn't sleep knowing that Rachel was out there all alone, probably scared out of her mind. The thought unnerved her.  
She had been searching, along with Burt, Carole, Rachel's Dad, Will, Emma and the Glee Club members of her high school years, for just a little over a week now.  
"Quinn, can you think of anywhere she might have gone?" Santana asked. Again.  
"No... If she's not in Lima, or with any relatives as Hiram and Leroy suggested, or with Shely, then I don't have a fucking clue. We ALL know that her heart belongs in New York, and we have searched every nook and cranny of the state. She just isn't here..." She sniffled.  
The room was silent.  
"Ok." Emma began, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to look at him. "I know this isn't a good time, but I think we should find Puck first."  
"What good will THAT do?" Kurt demanded.  
"Just think about it for a minute!" She defended. "All of us, INCLUDING Rachel, knows that if anyone is going to know how to disappear from friends and family it's Puck. Just look at how many times we've tried to contact him and failed in the past? What if Rachel went to him for help? He would tell her where to go. Rachel would have been able to go anywhere with the cash withdrawal she made. And Puck could have easily been persuaded to make her a fake ID."  
Everyone took a minute to process this.  
"She's right." Blaine added. "We have to find Puck."  
"We don't have any idea where he is!" Santana countered.  
"That's not true." Blaine said in a calm voice. "Mr. Schue knows where he is."  
Everyone turned to Will and he nodded grimly.  
"After the last time he ran off I made him promise to always tell me where he was going. And I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and that I wouldn't go to see him unless it wa an emergency." Will sighed. "However, he is only going to listen to me. He doesn't plan on leaving from where he is."  
"Mr. Schue, where is he?" Quinn growled. Mr. Schue pulled out his phone and dialed in a number, making sure no one could see his screen.  
He shook his head, ignoring her question and holding the phone to his ear. There was a tired sounding mumble on the other end of the line that none of the others could make out.  
"Puck?"  
More muttering.  
"Yeah, it's me."  
Muttering...  
"I know, but it's an emergency."  
Mutter mutter mutter...  
"So you already know?"  
Annoyed sounding mutter.  
"Do you know where she is going then?"  
Mutter where you just KNOW that he is rolling his eyes.  
"Alright. Anything else you can tell me?"  
Sighed mutter.  
"Ok. Thank you Puck."  
Unidentifiable emotion mutter.  
"No worries. No one knows."  
Relieved mutter.  
"Alright, take care."  
Mutter.  
"Bye Puck."  
*Click*  
"What's going on hunny?" Emma asked. Everyone stared at him expectantly.  
"We're going to Kansas." He replied.


	4. Someone like you my dear

Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Alexandria was going on and on about something back in Ireland that Rachel didn't understand.  
"You alright there? You seem a little down lass." An elderly gentleman asked her. She gave him a shaky smile.  
"Yes, I'm quite alright thank you." She replied politely. He smiled back at her and patted her knee gently.  
"Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret..." He whispered. "Alexandria loves to talk big about the smallest of things."  
Rachel chuckled and gestured to the red head who was chatting away, waving her arms around wildly. "I can see that."  
"Not in that way..." He sighed.  
"What do you mean then?" She asked.  
"Well," He began. "She's been through alot in the past year.. with her family farm running itself into the ground and her mother passing just a few months back... it can't be easy on her."  
"That's terrible..." She whispered, her heart swelling with sympathy  
"Aye... but she's a strong young lass she is. She has a heart o'gold and a wonderful smile that she always wears. She can light up a room just by the mere stars in her bright hazel eyes. She could teach you many things. She is a survivor. And she is a very independent one at that. Very rebellious too. Refused to follow family tradition she did."  
"Tradition?"  
"Aye, she refused to marry her betrothed. And I agree. That man was a nasty man I tell you. She deserves better. She deserves someone with a good heart and a gentle soul. Someone who can make her smile and laugh and who won't hurt her or tarnish her proud name or our family." He sighed and gave her a sly smile. "Someone like you my dear."


	5. Kurt's Mother

Rachel pulled the covers around her as she laid in the small twin size bed that no one else was using. Alexandria and her family were kind enough to let her stay for a while. And they were nice people. She liked it her, and she was glad that she was able to stay and make some new friends. But... Alexandria's grandfather's words still played in the back of her mind.  
What could he have possibly meant?  
Rachel had no clue.  
And that freaked her out. Almost frightened her. But she couldn't think about that right now. It was one in the morning, and she had yet to get even a wink of sleep.  
Rachel closed her eyes tightly and forced her muscles to relax.  
It was her first night away from home.  
It wouldn't be too hard.

Rachel walked downstairs, the sweet smell of pancake batter and fried eggs smacked her in the face with a happy good morning. She smiled and skipped merrily to the kitchen, ignoring her once again tired and achy bones. She would be happy here. Even if it killed her.  
"Good morning Ann. How are you?" Alexandria's mom, Tabitha greeted her with a smile.  
"I'm great and you?" Rachel, or Ann, answered.  
Rachel knew that she had to have someone on her side about this. And thankfully, Alexandria was. But, Alexandria had warned her that her grandfather was the only one on her father's side who believed in equality. So they agreed that during Rachel's stay, she was to be addressed by her fake name, Annabeth. Or, Ann, as everyone grew accustomed to calling her.

"How's your back feeling?"  
Rachel jumped slightly, her train of thought falling of the tracks again. "Good."  
"Does it still hurt?" Tabitha asked.  
"Really, I'm fine. Yeah, it aches a little, but I'm probably just still adjusting to it."  
"When you said that the first three days of your stay it was fine, three weeks later and you still expect me to believe it?" Tabitha chuckled. Rachel smiled and cast her gaze down, embarrassed.  
"I don't expect you too... but I hoped you would..." She mumbled.  
"You shouldn't mumble Ann. It's official we are getting a new mattress for that damned bed. And we will search until you are satisfied."  
"Oh, no, really you don't need to do that. Thank you, but I won't ask you to do that for me." Rachel protested.  
"I insist. While you are here you should be comfortable. I don't want you to kill yourself because of that mattress."  
"I won't, I promise."  
"Alright. So we are going shopping for a new mattress today. Got it?"  
"Yes mom, I got it."

"Mr. Schue, are you sure Puck said Kansas?" Mercedes asked.  
"Yes. I'm sure." He replied.  
"Didn't he say where?" Kurt asked.  
"No Kurt, he didn't. He said that all he knew was that she was somewhere in Kansas."  
"But we've been here for three days and haven't found a trace of her yet!" Quinn whined.  
"We will Quinn. We'll find her. I promise." Blaine whispered to her, wrapping a supportive arm around her shoulders. Kurt forced his gaze to the floor.  
"She has been gone three weeks with only the things she took from home, how do we know that she's even still alive?" Tina muttered.  
Quinn burst into tears and everyone glared.  
"What?!" She challenged.  
"What the hell is your problem Tina?! Don't you realize how hard this is for her?" Kurt snarled.  
"Hey, I lost my husband to Cancer. Just like you lost your mom to Cancer. And we have to be sympathetic of HER?! At least there is a CHANCE that Rachel is alive! Your mom and Mike are DEAD! We don't have the option to hope and pray that they are still alive!" Tina countered, enraged.  
The room went deathly silent. Everyone gaped at Tina. Kurt took in a deep breath, suddenly feeling hollow and empty inside. Burt walked over and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Kurt didn't stay there long. He walked out of the room, pausing at the door and turning back only to say, "Mike told me to tell you something before he died. I didn't have the heart to tell you. But if you're going to throw yourself away in your pity and shame and be heartless then this shouldn't hurt you." He scowled at her. "Mike wanted me to tell you what he did, with that family friend of yours Annabeth, Alexandria's sister." He paused for a moment. "Terri, her now six year old son, was his kid. But he wanted you to know that even after what he did that he always loved you. That he realized how stupid he was and that he would never want to hurt you like that again. That is what he wanted me to tell you."  
Tina stared at him blankly for a moment before her faced was the mere image of something dark and evil. "You're lying." She growled.  
"And why would I lie to you?!" He countered. "I didn't tell you because I didn't have the heart to. But if you're going to throw my mother in my face like that then you don't deserve my sympathy you asian wench."  
Everyone watched as the door slammed.  
And Tina cried. She didn't want it to be true.  
Everyone felt bad, but they couldn't find the will to move after what she said to Kurt.  
Everyone except Burt, Blaine and Quinn.  
They guided her to the bed of the musty motel room and hugged and comforted her.


	6. That killed her

Quinn tossed and turned with worry. She couldn't sleep. And she hadn't been able to sleep since Rachel had disappeared.  
The few hours that she DID sleep, killed her every time. Because she always dreamt of them finding Rachel, half-dead in some ditch or starving, or completely gone cannibal or something equally terrifying.

Quinn wanted Rachel back.  
She wanted to know that everything was ok.  
And she wanted life to go back to normal.  
But after Finn...  
And the lies...  
The loneliness and self-hatred...  
She knew, that no matter what happened, nothing would seem normal anymore. Nothing would be the same. Not her life, not Rachel's, nor the lives of the friends around her that had been so gracious and helpful. NOTHING would be the same.  
And that thought killed her.  
She felt her heart slowly and painfully breaking with every day that passed without knowing.

This was the worst feeling that she had ever felt.

And only her wife could heal this pain.

But she wasn't here.  
She was running FROM Quinn.  
And that killed her.


	7. But it wasn't Quinn

Rachel frowned.  
She knew what was coming.  
Another goodbye.  
More heartbreak.

Rachel shook away the negative feelings.  
It wouldn't be THAT bad.

It couldn't be any worse than leaving Quinn.

"You're leaving?" Alexandria pouted.  
"Yeah, I have to go." Rachel sighed. "I'm really sorry."  
"Aye... it'll be alright... I knew this was coming..." Alexandria sighed unhappily. "I'm going to miss you alot Rachel."  
Rachel smiled. "And I'm going to miss you too."

Without realizing what she was doing, Rachel leaned in and kissed Alexandria.  
It was a warm, welcoming sensation.

But it wasn't Quinn.

And it only made the gaping hole in her heart bigger.


	8. Clunky Car

Rachel looked at the mapquest page that she had printed out, ignoring the clucking sound her fucked up rental was making.  
It probably wasn't a good thing.  
"Just another six miles and then you're done for the day..." She murmured to the car. She had been driving all day, since maybe about five am. She glanced at the clock.  
It was almost ten pm.  
She sighed.  
This car was NOT built for these kind of rides.  
And neither was she.  
But she was almost there. Maybe another half-hour drive.  
She just hoped that this stupid car would make it.


	9. Don't Mess With Kurt

"Where are we?" Mercedes asked impatiently.  
"Somewhere near Kansas city..." Will repeated.  
"So this is where Rachel is?" Quinn asked desperately.  
"I don't know... it might be..." Will gritted his teeth.  
"Mr. Schue, we have been looking for Rachel for DAYS and this is the fifth city we've checked! We can't have anymore, 'she might be's. This is ridiculous!" Mercedes huffed, Tina nodding in agreement. Will took a shaky breath. He loved these kids, but they were getting on his nerves pretty fucking fast.  
"Guys, just shut the fuck up!" Blaine said.  
"Excuse you?" Quinn questioned harshly. But her mean demeanor died when she caught sight of Kurt's evil glare.  
"Just be happy that we're helping you at ALL Quinn. After what Rachel did... friend or not, you are not the only one that she lied too. She lied to all of us. Right to our faces. We felt sorry for her and practically treated her like a QUEEN. And then we find out THIS! No. You don't get the fuckign option to be Mrs. Queen Bitch. Your cheerleading days are OVER! Now be grateful and keep an eye out for your wife who may or may not be here. And if she isn't then we'll just have to keep fucking looking." Kurt growled.  
Everyone fell deadly silent.  
Quinn didn't know what to say.  
And nobody wanted to get in Kurt's way.  
Not even Santana who was sitting next to Kurt had a snotty retort.


	10. Detective Brittany

"Have you seen this woman?" Blaine asked. They had been going door to door in pairs with a headshot of Rachel that Quinn had kept lying around.  
So far, no luck.

"Hmmm..." The elderly lady said, squinting at the picture. Her face lit up, "Ann!" She exclaimed. "Oh, she was a sweetheart."  
Blaine looked at Kurt and Brittany with a questionable gaze. Blaine and Kurt were at a loss for words.  
But thankfully, this was a good day for Britt.  
"Where did you see Ann?" Britt asked.  
"Oh, she left two days ago. Said that she had somewhere to be. She stayed with Alexandria for almost two weeks! She helped me bake a cake for my son when he came for a visit! She is a wonderful house guest."  
"Did she say where she was going?"  
"No... not that I remember. Why not try asking Alexandria? Or maybe even her mother Tabitha? They might know."  
"Where can we find them?" Britt was on a roll.  
"They are supposed to be heading out to visit some cousins in Oklahoma soon... either today or tomorrow... but the live just outside of town. Towards the south. Only a couple miles from here. 10? 20 maybe? But I'd be quick, I don't know how long they're still going to be there."  
"Thank you very much." Britt said with a smile and pulled something out of her pocket.  
One of Santana's buisness cards.  
"If you hear anything, call the cell-phone number on this card."  
"Alright, no problem. I hope you find her." She said with a smile before shutting the door.

"Found something?" Will asked them when they all sent urgent text messages for everyone to meet by the car.  
"Yeah. We may have found someone who knows where Rachel went." Kurt said.  
"Or rather, Brittany did." Blaine corrected. Kurt nodded as Britt started to explain.


	11. An Abandoned Home

Rachel pulled up into the driveway of her destination.  
Puck said that she would find refuge here when she needed it.

The house was large and smelled of dust and age. It was on a country backroad, miles from civilization. It was almost a forty-five minute drive into the nearest town.  
Rachel organized her stuff into the master bedroom, hoping to make it feel at least a little bit like home.  
It was getting late and Rachel was exhausted.  
She didn't want it to be morning.

She crashed onto the bed, the mattress sagging dangerously low and creaking loudly in protest. Normally, this would bother Rachel, but she was too tired to care right now.

She fell asleep in no more than five minutes.


	12. Old Man

Rachel's eyes blinked open slowly and she stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling. She slowly sat up and rubbed the back of her throbbing head. She felt stiff and sore all over and moving around wasn't exactly easy. She forced herself to walk across the room to her suitcase and pick up her bag, grabbing a change of clothes and the travel shower kit that she had brought. She noticed how the bottle was nearly empty and sighed to herself.

Turning on the shower was a bit of a start to her morning. The water that came pouring out was a yellow-orange color for a moment before it turned clear again. And to make matters worse, the water wouldn't heat up.

Rachel, shivering, pulled on her jeans and slipped into her top. She looked around the house, scanning over the cobwebs and dust. With each room her nose crinkled in disgust.

Rachel grabbed her keys and hopped into her rental, deciding that she needed the gas just as much as she needed cleaning supplies and everything else in the entire world to clean up her new house.

Upon arriving into town, the first thing that Rachel took in was that the town was just as dirty as her new home. And that bothered her even more than living in a dirty home. Rachel gritted her teeth and turned into a small lot of a store. Getting out, Rachel locked up her car tight. It may not have been her fancy city car, but it was the only one she had at the moment, and she wasn't about to lose it now. Not when she had gotten this far.

Rachel made her way into the store and found her way around with little difficulty. Finding what she was looking for was easy. Getting out was the difficult part. When Rachel pushed her heavy and squealing cart towards the check-outs; no one was there. Rachel huffed out an annoyed breath and looked around. There was no one in sight.

'God damnit...' Rachel thought bitterly.

"Need some help there?" A raspy and grouchy voice said from behind her. She jumped and bit her tongue in order to keep from screaming. She whirled around to a ghostly old man with an even older pushbroom in his hand. He wheezed out a breath and trudged towards the register. Rachel followed reluctantly.

"That's a lot of stuff there." The man wheezed at her. She stayed silent, afraid to speak. He didn't seem to mind.

After checking out she pushed the cart towards the exit. When she turned to thank the elderly man, he was gone. She turned in a complete circle, looking for him, but didn't see him. She shrugged and continued on her way.


	13. The Story Of A Runaway

Quinn slouched in her chair, leaning her elbows on her knees and covering her face with her hands. She let another small sniffle escape her and shook her head slightly, as if clearing her head.

Another minute, another hour, and another day gone by. And all of their leads had fallen flat. Quinn and the Glee Gang had gone to this 'Tabitha' and 'Alexandria', and found them just finishing packing up their car. They had said that Rachel, or 'Ann' had left in the early morning, and never told anyone where she was headed. Just that she was going west.

Quinn sighed. This was more difficult than she had thought it would be.

'Rachel... Rachel where have you gone?' Quinn thought.

"Quinn?" A small voice said. Quinn peeked up through her fingers at Blaine, who seemed hesitant to disturb her thoughts.

"Yes Blaine?" She asked with a yawn.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Was there a point of you coming in to talk to me?!" Quinn growled bitterly, looking up at him with an icy stare and dagger eyes. Blaine jumped a good foot and gulped.

"I-I'm sorry, I just..." Blaine paused, taking a deep breath. "Do you wanna talk about it Quinn?"

"Talk about what exactly?" Quinn questioned sarcastically.

"Rachel."

"What about her?"

"She doesn't want to be found Quinn..."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious smartass." Quinn said with a roll of her eyes.

"So we're not going to find her."

Quinn snapped to attention, feeling rage and hatred boil inside her. "What?!"

"Quinn, I may not know Rachel as well as you do, but I do know something about running away. I ran away from home when I was nine. I felt that it was best for everyone. That I was holding them all back and causing pain. And I stayed away, for a long time. I wasn't found by anyone until I wanted to be found. And I was fourteen when they found me."

"So you're telling me that I have to wait until Rachel decides that she wants to come home before I'll find her again?" Quinn asked in a soft voice, biting back her anger.

"Not exactly."

Quinn stared at Blaine expectantly, waiting for some sort of explanation; but he gave none. She sighed. "I don't understand what you're trying to tell me, but honestly, I can't just wait for her to come back. I know Rachel. Once she puts her mind to something, even she has trouble changing her mind. I have to find her. And when I do, I'll do anything to get her to come back. I want my kitten back... I need her."

Blaine stared for a long while, gaping at her as he made several attempts to try to properly tell her what he wanted to say. But the words he desperately needed were just out of reach. He bit his lip hard in irritation.

"You know..." He began, carefully choosing his words as he tried to decide what all he was trying to say. "You could get her to want to come back, without chasing after her..."

Quinn stared blankly, but said nothing. So Blaine continued on, knowing that he still had her complete undivided attention.

"You could put up signs, make a couple of online ads. Maybe even alert the admins of her favorite sites, telling them to let you know if she ever logs on. You could stalk her facebook and twitter profiles, and keep a watchful eye out for any signs that she's been there. You can put up new statuses daily, begging her to come home. I know it's not... ideal. But it might work. You'll never know until you try Quinn."

"Why did you go back?" She asked.

"What?" Blaine questioned, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.

"Why did you go back home? You knew that your family was looking everywhere for you, and you didn't want them too. You spent about five years away from home. You left, with no intention of returning. So why did you go back?" Quinn blinked back tears as she thought of Rachel, alone and scared. And she couldn't find her kitten. Couldn't scoop her up into her arms and tell her that everything was going to be ok. That she loved her. She bit back a broken sob.

"I came back because I met someone. She was about twenty. We grew close, and she was the only friend I had. So I told her about me running away. And she told me that I shouldn't have done that. That my friends and family were probably worried sick. I didn't want to believe her, but in the back of my mind I knew she was right. I told her that I couldn't go back, and she said that I had too. And she told me about how she had run away when she was sixteen. She was gone for six months. Because she ran away, she missed her sister's and her mother's funeral, because they died in a car crash while out one night looking for her, she lost the love of her life; a man named Jacob Tanner, because he thought she was dead, and had gotten engaged four months after she left; and she lost the scholarship that she had gotten for NYADA. She had a beautiful voice and she was talented. I loved to listen to her sing while I stayed with her. She even missed the birth of her younger brother, who was born just weeks before her mother's death. He was stillborn, and she never even got to see him. No one took any pictures, because they didn't want to remember it. When she returned, she was shunned by the vast majority of her family, because they blamed all of that bad stuff on her. But her dad stayed. He still loved her. He told her that she was still his little angel. And she was only gone six months. I couldn't imagine what I had missed, being gone almost five years. I ran back home. I got back as soon as I can, hoping and praying that my family was still ok."

Blaine paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself and his eyes became glassy with tears.

"That's when I found out that, although my family was ok, that they had given up on me. They stopped looking for me. Nothing bad had happened. I didn't miss anything big like she did. But I lost my family. All of it. They all shunned me. I didn't have someone who was still there for me like her dad was for her. I was alone. They took me back in, but the rarely spoke to me. And I don't blame them. Once I got into college, they told me that I was no longer welcome in their house. I wasn't allowed to go back. I had almost wished that I hadn't returned..." Blaine took another short pause, a few tears streaming down his face, despite his best efforts to stop them from leaving his eyes.

"The only thing good that came out of me returning home... is that I didn't miss Kurt. I could have missed him. I might have never met him if I hadn't returned. Think about it... look back on your life before Rachel... What would you have done if you two had never met?"

Quinn was quiet. Her heart thudded painfully against her ribcage. She sniffed as her eyes flowed like the Niagra Falls.

"I wouldn't be here today if I had never met Rachel. She was there for me when no one else was. She convinced me to stay in Glee. She always remembered to remind me that Glee was family, and family shouldn't be left behind. Even when I was a complete bitch to her, she smiled and assured me that life wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. And she wished me a good day. She was so strong. And when I broke... completely broke... she was there. When my friends no longer knew what to do, and left me at home alone, she was there. She knew where I lived. She had my number. But we never talked. We never hung out. We weren't really friends. I didn't think so at least. But while I was home alone... My mom and friends out and about; putting me and my pleads to them for help behind...And all I wanted to do was die... She came. I looked up... And there she was. Letting herself into my bedroom. I didn't ask how she had gotten in, or made a snarky comment like I would have any other day... I just cried harder. I didn't want her to see me in such a state... But she didn't run away like everyone else. She pulled me close and held me tight. She told me that everything was going to be ok. She was there. And ever since then she had made a point of calling or texting to make sure I was ok. She showed me strength... She helped me to open my eyes and see love... She brought out the real me. And I will never be able to thank her enough for that. I love her so much... And she's the only reason that I'm still alive. The only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning..."

She paused when a hiccup stopped her from being able to speak. Blaine wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She curled up into his side, and cried into his shoulder.

"I'd be lost without her..." She choked out. She thought she heard Blaine whisper something to her as he rubbed her back, but she couldn't be sure. Her cries were too loud and her sobs filled her ears along with the steady sound of her weakly beating heart that seemed to be breaking slowly, as if purposely making the pain she felt worse than it already was.


End file.
